About YouTube marketing
Why YouTube is a search engine
After Google, YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. People do not only go there for entertainment, but for explanations, reviews and solutions, often with buying intent. On top of that, Google shows videos prominently in its regular results. If you optimise your videos well, you gain visibility on two channels at once.
For local businesses this is an underrated opportunity: video radiates trust and personality, exactly what a local customer looks for before getting in touch.
There is another reason why video carries more and more weight: it is the medium that AI models find hardest to imitate in a credible, personal way. A real video of you, your team and your work is authentic proof that text or a generated image cannot match. At a time when the web is filling up with AI content, demonstrably real, human video becomes more valuable, both for the trust of your customers and as a distinctive signal for search engines looking for authenticity.
Video SEO: being found with your content
A good video does not get found by itself. I optimise titles, descriptions and tags for the search terms your audience uses, set up your channel correctly, and make sure you have strong thumbnails and structure. That way YouTube understands what your video is about and who it should show it to.
This optimisation makes the difference between videos that sink without trace and videos that are watched and found consistently.
The first few seconds of a video also play an underrated role. Viewers and the algorithm alike judge in no time whether a video is worth it; if you do not hook them in those opening seconds, they drop off. So I make sure there is a strong, direct opening that makes it immediately clear what the viewer can expect. Combined with the right metadata and an appealing thumbnail, that increases both click-through and watch time, two signals YouTube weighs heavily when deciding who gets to see your video.
Transcripts and chapters for people and machines
Search engines ‘read’ video through transcripts, chapters and metadata. By adding accurate transcripts and splitting your videos into logical chapters, you make the content accessible to viewers and machine-readable for Google and Gemini. That increases your visibility in search and your chance of serving as a source.
An added benefit: transcripts and chapters improve accessibility, which both users and search engines value.
The multimodal index and video-first search
Modern AI models such as Gemini are multimodal: they understand text, images and video together. Google is working videos ever more deeply into its index and AI answers. Well-optimised video therefore strengthens the visual authority of your brand and increases your chance of appearing in those multimodal results.
In a world moving towards video-first search, this is not a side issue but a strategic head start.
Local application and coherence
I aim your YouTube strategy at your local audience and connect it with your wider presence: videos on your Google Business Profile, embedded on relevant pages, and aligned with your local video content. That way everything works together instead of in isolation.
This coherence makes video an integral part of your visibility in search, not a stand-alone experiment.
Approach and rate
I provide YouTube marketing and video SEO from €500. Depending on your wishes, I set up your channel, optimise existing videos, or build an ongoing video strategy. No videos yet? Then this fits seamlessly with my service Local video production.
Want to make the most of your brand’s visual authority? Then I will build the strategy for it.
Also relevant for you
// Frequently asked questions · YouTube marketing
Frequently asked questions
Why is YouTube important for my business?
After Google, YouTube is the largest search engine, and Google shows videos prominently in its results. Well-optimised video delivers visibility on two channels at once.
What is video SEO?
Optimising your videos and channel (titles, descriptions, tags, structure, thumbnails) so that they are found by the right viewers on YouTube and in Google.
Why are transcripts and chapters important?
Search engines read video through transcripts, chapters and metadata. They make your content machine-readable and accessible, which increases your visibility and citability.
What is the multimodal index?
AI models such as Gemini understand text, images and video together. Well-optimised video strengthens your visual authority and your chance of appearing in multimodal results.
Does YouTube also help with AI visibility?
Yes. Video that has been made machine-readable contributes to your authority and can be picked up and cited by multimodal AI.
Do I need to have my own videos?
Not necessarily. I optimise existing videos or build a strategy; if you have no content yet, my Local video production service fits in with this.
Does this work locally too?
Certainly. I aim your video strategy at your local audience and connect it with your Google Business Profile and relevant pages.
What does YouTube marketing cost?
From €500, depending on whether I set up your channel, optimise existing videos or build an ongoing strategy.
How quickly will I see results?
Optimising existing videos often works within weeks; a well-built video strategy delivers growing, lasting visibility over months.
Can I hire Gijs Bodenstaff for this?
Yes. I take care of your YouTube marketing and video SEO. Email info@gijsbodenstaff.nl or call 0638048347.
